Missing Link
by Squibblez
Summary: The Straw Hat crew lands in a new island and goes through the familiar ordeal to reach the boss of the villians. Luffy seemingly defeats the boss and the Straw Hats are laughing about a job well done when it turns out the boss isn't as dead as everyone thought he was. In his final seconds of life, the boss attacks a Straw Hat crewmate and permanently damages him. Angst - Zoro
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, everyone! This fanfic starts at an awkward point, so this right here will explain what was happened already: "The Straw Hat crew has landed on an island named Yappitty. They go through their normal 'new island' adventure and end up at the boss, of whom Luffy has seemingly defeated. Now, all Straw Hats are blissfully laughing and talking about a job well done when something horrible and very unexpected happens." If it's still too confusing, then I'll write this summary up in the story to make more sense. Please, let me know! Enjoy and please R&R! Also, reviews will let me know if you'd like more. Thanks!**

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"You damned cook!" Zoro yelled in mid-sprint. Sanji turned his back only to see Zoro shield him with his arms outstretched, from a blinding light that seemed to slice the very wind. Everyone's vision had been damaged and the Straw Hat crew covered their eyes from the light, except for Zoro. Immediately, Zoro felt a slight pinch on his shoulder and then felt nothing. It was possibly the strangest feeling Zoro had ever felt when getting fatally wounded and still conscious. Normally, the immense pain would become too much and his body would shut down and collapse. This time, however, the pain that was beginning to rise instantly disappeared as if he hadn't been hurt at all.

As the debris from the blast and light dispersed, Zoro watched as the man Luffy had supposedly beaten finally drop dead on the floor, having used his last ounce of strength to take out Sanji. Zoro was feeling exhausted, despite the fact that he hadn't joined the fight until only hours ago with Chopper and Nami. Extremely exhausted, plus nauseous. The nausea part had him confused, but now that the fighting was over, relaxing was the first thing on his mind; that and beer.

"Oh, my god," Nami whispered in shock with her trembling hands covering her mouth.

"ZORO!"

The swordsman flinched at the sound of Luffy's distraught voice. Luffy's tone was so engulfed in horror and fear that it made the most emotionally stable man in the crew feel anxious and concerned. Zoro turned to look at his crew and ask them what the hell was their problem, but as he turned his head, the colors and noises collided with one another. It was overwhelming and the swordsman collapsed on his back from the dizzy spell.

Almost immediately, the cook was hovering over his body, looking just as fearful as the rest of his crew. White smoke was clouding Zoro's vision, but he was still able to make things out in a comprehensible way.

"It's going to be ok, Zoro!" Sanji yelled, though his voice seemed distant. Zoro got furious when the cook used his actual name instead of the whole 'marimo' business, but decided against questioning it and instead went up to grab his shoulders with both hands.

That was when Zoro realized something was terribly and utterly wrong. He was holding the cook's right shoulder with his right hand, but… where was the other one? Had the attack dislocated his shoulder? That would explain the sudden disappearance of the pain. However, a simple dislocation wouldn't have nearly the entire crew kneeling beside him, looking as if they had just witnessed something that would haunt them for the rest of their lives.

In fear and curiousity, Zoro released Sanji's shoulder to inspect his wound. The movement sent a shockwave of colorful significance to his vision as if he were drugged.

Zoro's heart stopped as his right hand touched the wound on his shoulder. But that was it. Only his shoulder. His eyes widened in true horror as he lifted his head slowly to scrutinize the problem. He was having an incredibly hard to seeing as his vision faded and blurred and returned to normal, then faded and blurred once more, only to have it return to normal. The first thing he noticed was an ocean of blood that had been growing underneath his shoulder and spreading to his nakama's feet and underneath his body. The second thing he noticed was Chopper also inspecting the wound. The third thing he noticed was, further away, an object coated in blood lay on the grass. His vision cleared just enough to realize the object was a severed arm. His arm. He was left arm was lying in a bloody puddle nearly fifteen feet away from him.

And that was when all of the numbness and vision and noise slurring ceased to exist and everything became painfully clear; the realization that his arm had been sliced off, the pain, the blood, and that was when Zoro broke. His voice rang out in an echoing boom of pain and agony. He clutched the spot where his left arm would be in a desperate attempt to bring it back. Along with the horror and pain, the voices of his nakama became clear and distinct, as well.

"Chopper, what do we do?!" Luffy sobbed, obviously having been crying the whole time Zoro was in his daze. It was challenging to hear their voices over his own, but Zoro managed.

"I… I…!" Chopper was crying, as well.

"CHOPPER!" Luffy's voice was demanding and desperate, causing the crew's doctor to jump in fear of his own captain. However, perhaps Luffy's intimidation was just what Chopper needed to get into doctor mode and he immediately began to bark orders.

"H-He's gone into shock!" Chopper announced as he removed supplies out of his backpack. "Franky and Sanji, hold him down at all costs! If he moves, the surgery may fail and end up killing him! Robin, you and Usopp need to get warm water! It doesn't matter how hot, just not cold!" After each demand, each crew member nodded hesitantly and got into position. Franky got on his knees and with his enormous hands, the cyborg held down Zoro's kicking feet without much effort at all. It was Sanji Chopper had to worry about. Sanji pinned Zoro's right wrist to the grassy and bloody floor with both hands, as well as held Zoro's head in place between his knees. Zoro found it to be quite painful with his head pressed between the cook's strong thighs and he would've beaten that damned idiot up if it weren't for his foggy mind. His missing arm was the only thing that was on his thoughts. The prideful swordsman began to yell weakly, coming out as if they were whimpers.

Robin and Usopp then proceeded to search for water while Chopper was preparing his surgery tools. The reindeer didn't look up at Nami when he addressed her name and said, "Nami, I'm sorry, but I need his arm."

Silence rose, except for the helpless, weak cries of Zoro.

Nami didn't move, save the trembling and shakes. Her eyes expressed only that of true fear and shock.

"No! I'll get it!" Sanji offered and almost released Zoro's arm before Chopper interrupted his action.

"Don't let go!" Chopper yelled. "Nami's not strong enough to hold his arm down!"

Sanji glared angrily at Chopper, but he knew the reindeer was right. Nami nodded tentatively and went to retrieve Zoro's left arm, but Luffy grabbed onto her wrist from his kneeling position. His expression was shadowed by his black bangs, but the only hint to his feelings was according to his mouth that had become a straight line.

"Nami, go help Robin and Usopp. I'll get his arm," Luffy suggested, but his tone was in a demand format. Nami stared at her captain until he finally let her go and she nodded after biting her lip to keep the tears inside. Luffy stood and began to walk towards the amputated limb. As he got closer and closer, Luffy began to feel sicker and sicker. His fists were trembling at his sides and he wasn't sure if he was going to vomit or not. When he was able to make out the familiar skin tone of the hand and the dark green yukata's sleeve, Luffy couldn't help but fall to his knees and wretch in disgust and fear. A pool of blood was seeping into the sleeve and on the flesh of the limb.

By the time Luffy had managed to wrap the arm in the bloodied sleeve of the yukata and return to Zoro's side, the swordsman had gone silent except for the deep, heavy, slow breathing. Luffy placed the limb beside Chopper, sat next to the doctor, and watched and waited.

Sanji, on the other hand, was having a much harder time coping with Zoro's injuries. His arms were sore from holding down only a single one of Zoro's arms, which certainly proved Zoro's strength. After Zoro had calmed down, or fell unconscious, Sanji released his wrist and placed both palms on either side of Zoro's cheeks from sitting behind his head. They were still warm.

"Chopper," Sanji began in a low, steady voice, "What… do you think?"

The doctor was silent as he was continuing the surgery to save Roronoa Zoro. Chopper glanced up for a single moment to look at Sanji's expression, but decided against answering.

"He's not gonna die."

Sanji looked up to see Franky grinning exhaustedly, but determined. Sanji was almost taken aback by the faith the cyborg was portraying.

"Zoro-bro isn't gonna die. He isn't gonna die. He isn't… isn't…" Franky's voice trailed off into oblivion and Sanji couldn't see passed his sunglasses, but the cook didn't have to.

Robin, Usopp, and Nami returned with the warm water kept within a bowl made out of a giant leaf, which was obviously Usopp's doing.

"Chopper, is he-?" Usopp began.

"I NEED QUIET!" Chopper screamed angrily, though his face said something else. Tears were streaming down his cheeks and dropping into the ocean of blood beneath Zoro. Immediately, a tense silence followed until Luffy broke it.

"Everyone, please go back to Sunny and Brooke. Wait there," Luffy ordered quietly. Mostly everyone left except for Sanji, Luffy, and Chopper. "I thought I told you to leave, Sanji."

The cook reached into his pocket to retrieve a cigarette and leaned on his hands on the grass like he was going to be there for quite some time. "I'm not leaving until the idiot marimo opens his eyes."

Luffy looked up, expressing quiet solemnness. "… Sanji."

Hours passed as Chopper continued the procedure on Zoro's arm. Zoro had long since been unconscious and Sanji had smoked at least four cigarettes. Luffy had been staring at the swordsman's face the entire time.

"It's my fault," Sanji broke the silence and exhaled the tobacco smoke. The first time he announced it to Chopper and his captain, Sanji's voice was clear and sturdy. "It's… all my fault." The second time was quivering and unequal and his expression was hidden behind his blonde bangs.

"Don't say that, Sanji," Luffy said, "It's mine. I'm the one that didn't finish that captain off."

"Luffy, I wasn't paying attention."

"It was my job to kill him!"

"You both need to be quiet!" Chopper's high-pitched voice rang out through the night sky air. Sanji and Luffy stared at their doctor, who was covered in nervous and work-hard sweat. His front hooves were soaked in Zoro's blood and there were a few splashes of the red liquid all around his hat and torso. "Zoro doesn't need you both to argue! He needs blood which means he needs a transfusion! Sanji!"

The cook jumped at the doctor's scary voice. "Y-Yes?"

"You've got type O-positive! Get over here!"

Chopper hooked Sanji up to a transfusion device that would lend Zoro's body a helping hand. Sanji glanced down at the swordsman to find his face not as twisted in pain as it had been before. It seemed calm and defenseless. Sanji watched the blood flow from the inside of his elbow to Zoro's right arm. Sanji inspected the wrapping of Zoro's entire torso in order to keep them tight and stop the blood. Sanji never would've expected relief when he watched Zoro's chest rise and fall slowly. However, the cook realized he was sitting beside the limb, which was thankfully wrapped in the sleeve.

"Chopper, what about his arm?"

"I couldn't do it. I couldn't reattach it," Chopper confessed, distraught.

"He's alive," Luffy added with an exhausted grin. "He's alive, Chopper. It's all thanks to you."

Chopper's face flushed, but instead of his familiar insult to those who complimented him, Chopper was more worn-out than anyone besides Zoro, so he just smiled.

"We need to get him back on Sunny. Onto a bed," Chopper suggested and wiped the sweat off of his forehead.

"That's true," Sanji agreed and stood up after hours of sitting on the ground and stretched.

"Sanji, you gotta carry him. I'm too small and Franky's body will only hurt Zoro more," Chopper demanded, packing up his blue backpack to head back to Sunny.

"What? Hell no!" Sanji refused in a dramatic way, throwing his arm out to the side in disbelief. "Why not Luffy?"

There was a brief silence before Chopper answered quietly, "Look at him, Sanji."

Sanji turned to face his captain, who was smiling and patting Franky on his metal back. However, Sanji did notice something odd about Luffy. He noticed how Luffy's knees and hands were trembling madly. Sanji simply stared, unsure of what to say.

"He was more scared than all of us about losing Zoro. I don't think he's able to-" Chopper began explaining, but Sanji cut him off after lighting a cigarette in his mouth.

"I got it. Leave it to me."

….

Sanji moved as quickly and as gently as he possibly could. Zoro's heavy body weight on his back made it more challenging to move smoothly, but the marimo's health depended on it. Sanji's arms were hooked behind Zoro's knees to support him and his single right arm was dangling over Sanji's shoulders, bobbing to Sanji's movements. The only thing Sanji was having trouble keeping his face from turning red was the embarrassment and anger that Zoro's cheek pressed on the nape of his neck and every so often, Sanji could feel a shuddering, warm breath wisp onto his skin and by his ear.

"Damnit," Sanji cursed, mainly out of anger at the position the marimo was putting him in and shifted the dead weight on his back.

"Careful, Sanji!" Chopper warned, holding his front hooves in the air in a frantic manner. "He's just been through major surgery and I don't want that wound opening again!"

"Sorry, sorry," Sanji apologized half-heartedly and glanced back at Chopper to be certain the reindeer had heard it. However, Chopper was walking beside his left side, so when Sanji turned to look, he caught a glance at Zoro's left side; the left side of his dark green yukata was pulled down for the tight medical wrap that hugged him so close that Sanji wondered if it was cutting off his circulation. Sanji's heart drop to his stomach when he saw no left arm, but only a cut-off of the joint that connected the shoulder to the arm. Thankfully, Sanji didn't see the full-blown wound as it was wrapped up in medical tape. The cook had seen many things on his adventure through the Grand Line. However, nothing was more disturbing as watching a close friend nearly die and then permanently suffer for his own mistake.

Sanji bit his cigarette lightly in anger and frustration. It was his fault. While he was busy watching Nami-san bounce around, he allowed his guard to be dropped. That mistake cost Zoro his arm. Sanji's mind nearly stopped functioning when a single thought trucked its way into his brain: _Will this make marimo significantly weaker? _It wasn't much of a question. There was no doubt it would. It would affect Zoro's life. It would affect his dream and ruin it. Had Sanji ruined Zoro's dream?

"Sanji?" Chopper repeated for the fourth time, looking concerned and trotted up beside the cook, waddling next to him as Sanji was making his way toward the shore.

"Wh-What is it?" Sanji accidentally stuttered and his face turned a light shade of pink.

"Are you ok? You look a little… frightened."

"Of course he's scared!" Franky intervened to Sanji's dismay. "Zoro-bro almost died!"

Chopper looked up at the cook with a concerned expression. "Is that it?"

"U-Unh," Sanji stuttered again and wanted desperately to punch himself in the mouth. He shifted Zoro's weight on him so that the marimo was leaning more towards the left as to distribute his weight and make it more comfortable. In the middle of his shifting, Sanji heard the marimo wheeze in pain and he stopped moving mid-step. "Oi, Chopper! I think I hurt him!"

Chopper trotted around to Sanji's left side and inspected the wound before saying, "No, it's fine. Getting him in a bed should be our first priority right now."

Sanji sighed, blowing a puff of smoke from his cigarette into the wind and continued to walk, not feeling the least bit exhausted for carrying Zoro's weight. Franky had already gone ahead to set up the infirmary with Luffy, but Sanji was certain all Luffy would do was accidentally get caught between the doors again. Sanji often wondered whether or not Luffy was captain of the crew.

A wide grin spread across Sanji's face once he saw Sunny in the distance. Chopper and he were almost there! However, in the excitement, Sanji felt something sticking to his clothing. He looked behind him and tried to see underneath Zoro, but found that a dark red liquid had drenched his suit.

"Chopper!" Sanji called and the reindeer was immediately at his side. "What's going on? Did his wound open?"

Chopper scrutinized the area covered in blood and breathed out, relieved. "No, it's just from before."

Sanji released the air he had been holding, sending a puff of tobacco fluttering to Zoro's face and a light wheeze escaped the marimo's mouth.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Chopper screamed, leaping into the air and grabbing the cigarette from Sanji's mouth. The doctor landed on the ground as if he were a ninja and placed the cigarette on the ground so delicately one might think it was a bomb. "You wanna kill him?"

Sanji's face had broken out in a cold sweat, amazing the stub of an animal was able to move like that.

It took another ten minutes of trudging along the long grass to reach Sunny. Sanji wasn't surprised to find every crew member of the Straw Hats aligned outside on the deck, waiting for them. All of them were grinning in relief that their first-mate had lived through another hell. However, there was one unhappy face: Nami.

"Nami-SWAN!" Sanji yelled, grinning happily to turn her frown upside down from below. Unfortunately, it didn't. Sanji's disappeared immediately upon noticing it and he formed his mouth into a straight line. Nami turned, her long orange hair fluttering in the wind, and disappeared in the lower deck of Sunny. Luffy hopped off of Sunny and landed in the sand with one of his stupid toothless grins. He trotted over to Sanji and gently took the marimo off of his back, heaving that enormous ton of muscle weight onto his own skinny little body. However, Luffy was much stronger than he looked.

"Sanji! Make us breakfast!" Luffy cheered, shifting Zoro's weight so it looked like his body was simply slung over a much smaller one.

"It's midnight, idiot!" Sanji protested, but Luffy jumped onto the ship and out of Sanji's sight.

"Luffy!" Chopper called as he climbed up the latter, unable to do the many things the Straw Hat captain could. "Bring him into the infirmary! Don't just drop him on the ground! The procedure's not done yet!"

"Ok!" Sanji could hear Luffy call back.

Once Sanji made it up to the main deck, he found Robin giggling with an unclenched fist.

"Cook-san, perhaps Luffy means to say that it's a new day," the archeologist supported Luffy's desire for breakfast.

"Ah~!" Sanji cooed and shimmered over to her. "Robin-CHWAN~! If you'd like breakfast for dinner, I'd be happy to make it!"

"I do!" Usopp cried out, raising his hand.

Sanji sent a menacing glare filled with daggers at the sniper. "Only if Robin-chan wants it."

"I don't mind," Robin replied, smiling.

"Then leave it to me!"

Usopp frowned and muttered under his breath, "Bastard."

Sanji turned to smile humorlessly at Usopp. "What was that?"

"NOTHING!"

The rest of the crew laughed heartedly and Sanji found himself wondering where Nami was in this time of great relief and thankfulness.

…..

Zoro had regained consciousness multiple times during his ordeal. He could feel a sharp knife cutting into his severed shoulder and the cries of his nakama. However, everything had been muddled once more and he slipped into the darkness of sleep. He had woken up a second time while being carried by an unusually warm, soft person and he could smell the faint scent of tobacco. If he had been well-aware of his position, Zoro was certain he wouldn't have enjoyed it as much as he did. The pain had subsided by the third time he woke up and he found it odd, but didn't question the few hours of bliss he'd receive.

Finally, for the fourth time he regained awareness, he had enough strength to use his five senses. He could immediately feel the dull, but roaring pain on his left shoulder and he instinctively winced before forcing his single eye open. He met the scenery of the infirmary ceiling, which was harboring a spinning fan that provided Zoro with the coolness he needed to breathe easier.

He turned his head slowly, half-expecting to find a member of the Straw Hat crew sitting bedside, but found no one. Zoro couldn't tell if he was disappointed or delirious. He frowned as he slid his right hand up the left side of his stomach to gingerly touch the injury. He felt a pang of shock when he couldn't find his left arm where it had been since he was born. However, Zoro had a very desirable skill to 'go with the flow' and simply frowned at his predicament. But then he realized something incredibly important: how much weaker had he become? It hit him so hard that his pupil and right hand were shaking in fear. However, the fear and shock were taken over by a bout of anger that seemed to come out of nowhere and he bit his bottom lip so hard that it began to bleed, sending a stream of blood down his chin and dripping onto the pillow underneath his head.

Zoro, unable to completely absorb what had happened to him, forced himself to sit up and swing his legs over the bed. A wave of dizziness attacked him, but he fought it down with pure will power. The swordsman touched his scarred left eye before wiping the blood from his chin. What was next? His left leg? Would his entire left side be taken from him?

Zoro was able to stand for a mere few seconds before his vision swirled and twirled in front of him. The next thing he knew, he was opening his eye and met the ground instead of the ceiling. Thankfully, he had completely blacked out, so he didn't feel the immense pain he must've felt when he hit the ground. Not thankfully, a pool of blood was growing around his injury, soaking his clothes.

"Ah…" Zoro opened his mouth and spoke for the first in time what felt like a million years. When he did, his voice was hoarse and much lower than usual. He wondered if he had said anything at all when he realized how horribly weak he was. He was thirsty and his wound was so sore he imagined he wouldn't be able to move that arm for a- Ah. Right. It was gone. Zoro's eyes suddenly weighed more than any dumbbells he could possibly carried and his consciousness swept away from him.

Time shifted for an unknown period of time. Zoro woke up for the second time and found he was staring at the ceiling. Had he gotten up in the first place? He turned his head on the pillow to find Usopp mopping something on the floor. Zoro narrowed his eye and found stains of red on the wooden floor of the infirmary.

"Sorry…" Zoro apologized weakly, realizing that his blood from earlier had stained the ground. Immediately, Usopp let out a loud and frightening squeal and leapt for the wall, knocking medical supplies on the ground and breaking the bottles of medicine. Zoro glared at the sniper for being such a scaredy-cat and felt ashamed to be in the same crew as him.

"AH! Zoro!" Usopp exclaimed happily, regaining his composure and walked over to Zoro's bedside. "How're ya feeling? Better?"

"I feel like shit."

"I-Is that so?" Usopp laughed nervously and crossed his arms over his muscular chest. Zoro wondered if all that muscle was just for show. The swordsman turned his head to face the ceiling once more and closed his eye for some colorless relief.

"How long have I been out?"

"Eh? Oh… Well, probably about an hour after you reopened your wound. But before that… I'd say… about two weeks."

"TWO WEEKS?!" Zoro's body shot upright and if it wasn't for his immense shock, he would've felt the immediate pain in his left shoulder. Usopp flinched against and clutched the mop to his chest.

"Y-Yes! Chopper said that was normal for you because you lost so much blood!" Usopp explained defensively. "Sanji had to give him some of yours!"

Zoro's mouth was hanging open so wide that he felt the sheets with his chin. "Where the hell are we?"

"We're in the middle of the ocean! We set sail after Chopper patched you up!"

"And everyone? How's everyone?"

"We're fine!" However, there was a pause before Usopp frowned sadly. "W-Well, actually, Nami doesn't seem to be ok."

Zoro clicked his tongue in annoyance and allowed his body to relax while still in the sitting position. As a woman, the witch was probably complaining about the clouds in the sky or something.

"Ever since you… you know. Lost your arm."

"Eh?" Zoro blinked and watched Usopp's expressions carefully.

"Well, everyone's glad you're alive, but Nami looks… scared of something. I'm not sure what, though."

"Tch. I don't give a damn about what that witch wants. Can't that idiot cook help her?"

"He's tried, but Sanji told me he thinks it's because of what happened back at Yappitty."

"Hmm?"

"Apparently, Nami was asked to retrieve your arm from the-"

"Stop," Zoro interrupted, but his voice was muffled from covering his mouth with his right hand. He felt the overwhelming need to vomit. His arm had been sliced from his body and all he could think about was what it could've possibly looked like; a severed limb.

"S-Sorry, Zoro," Usopp apologized with a quiet voice. "Maybe you should get more rest."

The swordsman was able to overcome the nausea and looked up at Usopp with a normal expression. "To hell with that. I've been sleeping for two weeks." Zoro struggled to stand on his feet, but the sniper helped significantly. Although it didn't show on his face, Zoro was very appreciative of Usopp. His right arm was slung around Usopp's shoulders and he realized his legs were incredibly wobbly, even though the dizziness had passed not long ago. However, he forced his weak body to stand up straight without using the sniper as a balance.

"Yosh," Zoro congratulated himself quietly and placed his right hand over his chest and examined his standing position; he wasn't wearing his green overcoat, but he was wearing the pants without the stomach band. His entire torso, from his injury to halfway down his chest, was wrapped in tight, binding medical tape to stop the bleeding and hold everything together. Zoro reached for his left shoulder and felt the awkward spot where he was missing a limb. He walked heavily over to a chair on the opposite end of the room to retrieve his dark green overcoat and slung it over his shoulders. The left sleeve was still intact to the yukata, so Zoro figured it was a new one. The left sleeve fluttered and battered in the slight breeze, but the right sleeve didn't, because of his arm in place. Although it still looked unnatural, his body was much easier to look at without having to see the missing arm.

"Damnit," Zoro cursed angrily at his overcoat as he tried to button it with one hand. Usopp noticed his predicament and trotted over to him and completed the deed with a solemn smile. Zoro sighed heavily and ruffled his mossy green hair. Zoro didn't thank Usopp as he walked out the door, feeling oddly unbalanced, but manageable.

The moment Zoro opened the door, a blinding white light appeared and he covered his eyes. For two weeks, he had been surrounded by electric light. The sunlight woke him up in a way no alarm clock or Luffy's laughter every could. It felt like it had revived Zoro. The smell of the salty sea breeze and the sounds of sea gulls greeted the one-armed swordsman and a light smile played on his lips. It was impossible not to at least smirk when in the middle of the ocean on a clear day as it was too calm and peaceful to frown.

However, in the life of a Straw Hat crew member, the impossible surely became the possible. Zoro's smile wiped off his face when he saw Brooke and Luffy charging at him, both with extended arms and snotty noses and teary eyes.

"Zoro!" Luffy cried, his sandals clapping on the main deck of Sunny.

"Zoro-san!" Brooke called, his boney fingers stretched out as if to drag Zoro to Hell's Gate.

Lines of deep depression appeared under Zoro's eyes as he backed up against the door of the infirmary.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!"

Both of the attackers froze mid-run. Even their tears froze.

Zoro turned his head to find Chopper trotting towards him to defend him. The small reindeer got between the two crying Straw Hat members and Zoro, raised his arms in a defensive position, and breathed loudly out of his nose.

"You two aren't allowed near Zoro! He's not nearly healed enough for you two to barrage him with hugs!"

"B-But Chopper…" Luffy whined, but did as he was told.

"I'm fine," Zoro added into the conversation, but it seemed to roll right off of Chopper's back.

"You should be in bed, Zoro," Chopper reprimanded and then shot a menacing glare in Usopp's direction.

"Don't look at me!" Usopp defended. "Hey, I tried, but he insisted!"

Zoro took a look around while Usopp and Chopper were arguing. Luffy took advantage of it and ran up to the swordsman, but stopped feet away.

"How're ya feeling, Zoro?" Luffy asked with a wide grin.

Zoro frowned before answering. "Fine."

As if on cue, Zoro's stomach rumbled and his face turned a deep shade of red. He clutched his stomach with his right hand with an embarrassed expression on his face.

"Shishishi! SANJI!" Luffy called, attracting probably every crew member on the enormous boat.

"WHAT?" Zoro was surprised to hear back from the ero-cook. According to the quietness of the cook's voice, Zoro made a guess he was in the kitchen. Cleaning, probably.

"ZORO'S HUNGRY!"

"MARIMO'S AWAKE?"

"YEAH! HIS STOMACH JUST-!" Luffy was interrupted when Zoro sent a flying fist at the back of his head, nearly knocking the straw hat right off of him.

"Talk normally!" Zoro suggested in a very threatening manner. Luffy laughed, but as he did, Zoro noticed how it seemed to spin into oblivion. Zoro felt his body sway from the lack of oxygen and he collapsed on top of Luffy, who had apparently noticed what was happening and welcomed it.

"Zoro!" Chopper called, realizing what had happened. Zoro could mainly hear sounds and nothing more. It was a strange sensation to know your eye was open, but all you saw was black spots clouding your vision. His captain was holding him in an awkward position before setting him down in a supine position on the ground.

"I-I'm fine," Zoro said, much louder than he had wanted to. He felt like he was and he felt that it was just a dizzy spell that didn't seem to go away.

"Zoro-san, you're not ok," Brooke added and Zoro could see the skeleton's face looming over his. "Should I give him CPR?"

Zoro's vision completely blacked out and all he could do was listen.

"Get Sanji up here. He's going to need another transfusion. Last one, and he should be fine," Chopper suggested in his doctor-ly tone of voice.

The last thing he heard was Luffy's sandals clapping in a different direction before his mind faded to black.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, guys! Thanks for the awesome reviews! It certainly helped me write this chapter! Obviously, this one is somewhat shorter than the other, but that's only because I don't want to keep you guys waiting for so long. x) As always, I hope to do the characters justice. Enjoy and please R&R! **

* * *

Unlike before, the darkness that had consumed Zoro left as if being chased away by the oncoming ray of light. He opened his eye to find the familiar ceiling fan, but found that the light was too bright for his overly sensitive eye. He curled his arm over his eye to shield himself from the light.

"The hell…?" Zoro mumbled, feeling much weaker than before, but more aware and awake.

"That's what you get, you damned marimo."

Zoro shifted his arm to see the cook sitting on a chair beside his bed with one arm sleeve rolled to his elbow.

Sanji glared at Zoro and narrowed his eyes. "Moron. Don't make others worry for your sorry ass. Rest when Chopper tells you to rest."

Zoro frowned in anger and if it wasn't for the obvious fact that the cook had given him blood once again, Zoro would've strangled the idiot. Well, there was that, and the whole holy-shit-so-weak thing going on. He could barely feel his body besides the numbing soreness and pain in his left shoulder. He then replaced his arm over his eye and said nothing.

"Are you gonna apologize?" Sanji asked angrily.

"I should be asking you the same thing," Zoro said quickly and clearly. And then everything went silent. Zoro regretted saying it the moment the words spilled from his mouth and all he wanted to do was reverse time and take them back. His eye flung open so wide from the shock that had escaped his lips that his pupil shrunk due from the sunlight.

"Zoro…" Chopper muttered in sad astonishment. Zoro sat up quickly, racked with guilt and nausea. He hadn't even realized Chopper was there either. The swordsman stared at the cook with a wide eye and his mouth slightly open, as if he was going to say something, but decided against it. The cook sat there with an unreadable expression; mixed with sorrow and anger and guilt and betrayal. Zoro was unsure of what to say.

"O-Oi," the swordsman began hoarsely. "I… I didn't mean-"

"Save it," Sanji interrupted with his hand raised. A light touch of a solemn smile played on his expression. "I know it's my fault. I don't blame you for being mad."

Zoro frowned and a bead of cold sweat ran down his temple. "Look, if… if… I'm the one that decided to save your skinny ass. It was my decision and… and even though I didn't put much thought into it, I did it. What's done is done." Zoro paused and was relieved to see the cook's face loosen up. "I'm just pissed off because I'm hungry."

Sanji scoffed and unrolled his sleeve, standing up from the chair that was beside Zoro's bed. "Well then, I ought to make some lunch, anyways."

The cook disappeared out the infirmary door and Zoro sighed, exhausted for having to have such a long conversation about such a touchy and embarrassing subject.

"That…" Chopper began, holding his hooves together. Zoro spun his head to see comical tears streaming down his cheeks. "That was beautiful! So sweet!"

"Shut up!" Zoro yelled, but winced in pain and loosely gripped his left shoulder.

"The surgery's over and done with," Chopper explained happily. "As long as you don't open the wound again, you won't even need another transfusion."

"Thanks, Chopper," Zoro said with a solid and ever-lasting scowl on his face. "You're a damn good doctor."

"Don't say things like that, you bastard~!" Chopper exclaimed giddily and caused Zoro to frown and regret complimenting the idiot reindeer. "You know that won't make me happy~!"

"Right, right," Zoro muttered in annoyance and tossed his legs over the side of the bed. It was getting easier and easier for him to move and things were finally looking up from his painful and tragic ordeal. "Where's everyone else?" Zoro added as he slung his right arm through the sleeve of the dark green overcoat that was folded on top of the desk.

Chopper was packed his medical supplies back into this seemingly abyssal blue bag as he answered, "Uh… Playing cards? Last I saw them."

"And when was that?" Zoro asked as his fingers fumbled awkwardly around the buttons of his yukata overcoat. He tried to use his thumb as a second hand, but that wasn't turning out well. Chopper trotted over to the swordsman and helped him, just as Usopp had done. Zoro was beginning to feel useless, but the thought was pushed to the back of his mind.

"Not too long ago. But I don't think Nami was there."

Zoro found himself feeling strange when Chopper mentioned Nami. What did Usopp say about her again? Something about… sunbathing, was it? That didn't seem likely with the sad way Usopp was looking at him while explaining. Zoro frowned and decided he'd speak with her before eating. The swordsman left the infirmary without taking one glance at his katana that were leaning against the wall.

….

"Nami," Zoro spoke in his usual deep, husky voice. He peered around the corner to the orange bush and, as he thought, the woman was nestled into the leaves, smelling the fruit. When she noticed him standing there, Zoro watched her expression go from relief to shock to nervousness.

"Oh, Zoro!" Nami exclaimed nervously. She stood up and her bouncy orange hair cascaded down her back like a bright waterfall. Although Zoro wasn't interested in women, especially the beli-loving witch before him, he couldn't say she wasn't beautiful. "What is it?"

Zoro didn't reply, but instead, paused for a moment to scowl at the woman. It was obvious she was hiding something. She was good at lying, but not to her crewmates and especially not to Zoro. Zoro knew Nami from the beginning and between sadness and gladness; Nami would normally go to her orange bush when she was feeling sad. The swordsman found himself getting angry and he was about to cross his arms when he realized there wasn't a second arm to cross through. It was an upsetting disappointment that he'd never be able to do that again, but Zoro decided against mulling over a trivial matter when Nami's feelings were at stake.

Had he honestly just thought that? The damn witch did matter to him, no matter how many times he tried to push those thoughts away. Zoro noticed how Nami's expression dulled and she faced the deck, conspicuously unable to look Zoro in the eye.

"Oi," Zoro grabbed her attention and after seeing her solemn expression, he just couldn't hold back anymore. "What's the matter with you?"

"Wha… What do you mean?" Nami was forcing a smile and Zoro's eyebrow twitched in annoyance at her lie.

"You know what I mean. Why are you taking this harder than I am?" Zoro asked. At least, that's what he felt like. He wasn't all that sure what to think of the fact that he only had one arm. Zoro watched as Nami's eyes widened and tears brimmed on her bottom eyelids. However, the witch's look didn't faze Zoro and he stuck with the scowl on his face.

Nami sank to the floor, leaning against her bush, and covered her face with her hands. "I… I guess it's just a mix of things," she replied between soft sobs, but her voice was slightly muffled by her slender fingers and palms covering her mouth. A counterfeit smile was behind her hands and Zoro frowned at the sight. He hated it when women faked a smile.

Nami continued, realizing Zoro wouldn't say much about girly matters, "W-Well, I mean, you almost died, Zoro."

Zoro scoffed and leaned his back against the wall that led to Sunny's staircase that led to the kitchen. "We're pirates. It's part of the job description."

"But, never that _closely _has any one of us been so close to death. I don't think I could bear losing any one of you," Nami confessed and some tears were dripping down her chin and onto the deck. "When I saw you… just screaming in agony… I just couldn't…" Nami's voice trailed off and then she just stopped.

Zoro looked downwards, though his sight saw nothing but oblivion. He didn't really remember what had happened that day two weeks ago, but his memory came back for a fraction of a second and all he saw was the cook's frightened face hovering above his and then everything turned red. When Zoro realized that that was the past and he was in the present, his right hand was gripping his mouth closed, feeling sick.

"Are you ok!?" Nami had sprung to her feet and both of her hands gripped Zoro's shoulders to make sure he was steady. Zoro winced at the shock of his left shoulder being touched, but he managed to stifle his yell of pain and hid his expression. The last thing Nami needed was to realize she had hurt him.

"Yeah," Zoro replied weakly and shifted away from her grasp, careful to keep his expression from contorting in pain.

"LUNCH TIME!"

Zoro nearly jumped at Sanji's loud voice calling everyone down from the main deck. Zoro didn't want him and Nami to leave on that note, because he knew he wouldn't ever try to talk to her again. Zoro had already cleared things up with the cook, but women were much, much more difficult to read.

Zoro tried his best to cheer up the navigator. "Witc- N-Nami… I won't die. Not until I achieve my dream."

Nami seemed to have pulled herself together a bit more when she questioned his answer, "How can you be sure? You don't know what we'll have to face. I don't want any one of us to die."

_Then you should've thought twice about joining a pirate crew. _"It's because I have all of you. All my nakama will be there and we'll all be there for each other." Zoro was getting pissed off by the fragile subject he continued to have to deal with; however, he knew he spoke from deep within his heart, no matter how angry and embarrassed it made him. When Zoro noticed how much lighter and happier Nami looked, a proud smirk rose on his face. When was the last time he was able to cheer a woman up? Never? He'd normally just make it worse, but perhaps he was getting somewhere.

"Let's go eat," Zoro suggested and turned his back, but before his gaze left Nami's, he saw her grinning happily and a light smile played upon his mouth.

"Gah!" Nami yelled in a high-pitched voice and Zoro spun on his heel to see that her shoe had been caught on one of the bush's thistles. The woman was falling backwards as Zoro reached out with his single arm to catch her. As expected, it didn't work out the way it usually did with two arms. Zoro squeezed his eyes shut, preparing for the pain of landing on his injured shoulder, but only landed on something incredibly bouncy and soft.

He opened his eye to find a small hill of bouncy flesh in front of his vision. That was when he realized he had landed on Nami, the very person he was supposed to save. His head was lodged in between her breasts and his left shoulder was elevated from the ground with her bare stomach. One of his legs was in between Nami's and his other one was outside her right leg. His face turned a dramatic dark red and his scowl rose into a shocked 'omigod-she's-going-to-f-ing-kill-me' expression.

"Z-Zoro!" Nami exhaled sharply under his weight, gripping onto his dark green yukata to push him off of her. "Get off of me!"

"Nami-SWAN! It's lunch-!" the cook called, but his voice was much closer than before. Sanji was indeed witnessing such a horrific event. Zoro's body froze. He opened his single eye to find Sanji's face twisted into something so evil that all the evil villains in the entire world wouldn't be able to match his gaze. His entire body lit on a roaring, angry fire and his fists were trembling at his sides.

"Maaaaaaarrriiiiiimmoooooo…." His voice cooed out of his throat like a ghost coming back from Hell.

Zoro forced himself to his feet with one arm and he backed against the orange bush. "W-Wait. It really didn't happen like that."

Sanji seemed above reason as his right foot stepped forward.

"You don't understand, you idiot! She fell and-!"

"Ara? You claim she fell for you? You're just delusional from the pain medication Chopper gave you," Sanji interrupted, his dark expression hidden underneath his blonde bangs.

A red vein pulsed on the side of Zoro's head as Sanji ever-so slowly made his way towards him. The swordsman was getting pissed off. "Fine, if you want to fight..." Zoro reached for his katana with his right hand. The moment he realized his hand wasn't gripping a hilt, he looked down to find that his swords were missing from his waist. Shit.

Sanji was getting closer and closer and Zoro gnashed his teeth in anger. However, Sanji stopped when Nami let out a weak, "S-Sanji, stop."

Sanji turned to look down at the woman, as did Zoro, and he found Nami looking helpless and a blush had risen on her face with tears in her eyes. Now, Zoro knew why she had tears; from his overpowering weight on her tiny frame. The idiot, ero-cook must've had a different thought and a stream of blood ran out of his right nostril.

"Eh?" Zoro muttered in slight surprise.

One stream of blood followed another, and then the stream turned into a river, and then the river turned into a rushing river, and then the rushing river turned into an exploding waterfall.

"KYAA~!" Sanji proclaimed in an echoing voice and acted as if he was punched directly in the face; propelling backwards and slamming into a wall. Zoro helped Nami up with his single arm and they both retreated into the kitchen while the cook was recovering from the shock of something completely unknown to the swordsman.

* * *

**Hey, guys! I'm considering this to be the end of this story! I want to say thanks to all those who reviewed, because that helped me get through this! I had fun writing it, of course, but it was getting challenging to think of how the Straw Hats would react in this situation. This story will be an odd one. I'm considering it complete until I get reviews telling me to continue. I'm not punishing you guys, I swear! It's just that I started working on another fanfic (which you will see appear soon), so I'm not entirely focused on this one and I'm not sure what else to write about it. If you guys have a skit you'd like me to add as another chapter, write a review telling me what you'd like it to be about and I'm certainly happy to do it! Thanks to all of you and I hope you enjoyed!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, all! Thanks to your wonderful reviews on how much you wanted me to complete this fanfiction, I just had to! This is the final chapter and I believe this will give you the closure you all needed. Sorry for stopping at all. As always, I hope to do the characters justice and please enjoy!**

* * *

Zoro's uselessness was beginning to get on his nerves. They were still out at sea, so there wasn't much to do, but help out with the ship. He accompanied Usopp with swabbing the upper deck, where there was hard-wood flooring, but he couldn't hold the mop right. He held it like it was a staff, but that just felt awkward. He had to hold it at an angle to actually do any cleaning. But how, with only one arm? He got so pissed off that he snapped the broom in splinters by simply breaking the wooden rod with a tight squeeze of anger.

He felt unbalanced as he worked out with his training weights. He only had a limited amount of time to exercise before Chopper found out and put a stop to it. When every second was important, Zoro couldn't spend that time with only trying to balance himself. And when Zoro was caught and immediately stopped, he had nothing to do. Nami and Robin did nothing but sunbathe and giggle. Chopper would hang out with Brooke and Luffy, but kept a distant eye on Zoro. Franky and Usopp had been in their basement since Zoro began to recover. And the cook didn't much matter. He was probably just bitching to Nami and Robin.

Zoro was damn useless and he couldn't stand it anymore.

"Zoro!" Usopp's voice sounded way too cheery for the swordsman's liking. Despite it, Zoro turned to see Usopp and Franky, both grinning proudly with all hands on something strange. This strange thing was covered by a large cloth, but it was long for what it lacked in width and looked incredibly heavy.

"What's that?" Zoro asked, curious. Normally, he wouldn't be so curious. He'd tell them to stay away from him with whatever the hell they might've concocted, but Zoro was beyond bored and would do anything to slay it.

Franky and Usopp looked at each other, grinned, and Usopp yanked the cloth off. What was underneath surprised Zoro to the fullest extent. It was a cylinder-shaped tank filled with water to keep whatever contraption that was inside wet. The contraption looked very similar to an arm, but it was shiny and metallic, plus there were a few visible wires. The arm looked muscular, despite its metallic features and the fingers weren't boney like Brooke's. They looked like normal, thick fingers, but simply more… silver-y.

Zoro's eye widened at the sight. He immediately knew they made it for him. Zoro wasn't sure what to say.

"You don't have to thank us," Usopp said proudly, pounding his chest. "Franky and I did it for you."

Zoro subconsciously reached up and clutched his missing arm, gripping at his dark green yukata instead. "You can replace it?" Was all he could muster.

Franky flashed his enormous smile and set the tank down on the ground vertically; one side was on the deck and the other was held in balance with Franky's hand. He replied loudly, "Of course! Technology is suuuuper! It can do suuuuper things!"

Zoro was ecstatic, but it didn't show on his face. His dream wasn't forgotten. He could still fight. He would fight. Zoro wasn't about to let this moment go to waste. "How do I put it on?"

Usopp started to crack up and slapped Zoro's shoulder in a teasing way. "It's not as easy as that, Zoro. He gotta connect it to as many nerves as possible, or else it won't work the way you want to."

Zoro raised an eyebrow. "So?"

"So, that means we gotta put that wound through another surgery process. That could kill whatever nerves are still left, which could leave your entire upper body paralyzed."

Zoro frowned, "Then why'd you make it for me if it won't work?"

"It's a risk that you can choose to make, but there isn't any other option. Unless you want a remote control," Franky answered casually with a shrug.

"Then my choice should be clear," Zoro replied calmly and shut his eyes. "There's no way I can fight like this, not having been like this all my life. I'll take this risk, but you have to promise me…"

Usopp smiled, "What?"

"Kill me if this doesn't work."

And then the sniper's smile disappeared. "Y-You're kidding, right?"

"Deal," Franky agreed with a sincere look on his face.

"Franky!" Usopp protested as Zoro walked closer to them. "We're not really gonna kill Zoro, right? What the hell are you saying?"

The cyborg grinned and lifted up a gigantic thumb. "It's gonna work. We made it. Plus, Zoro-bro's as strong as any robot I've met! His nerves are all based on his instinct: surviving. I have no doubt this'll work."

Zoro smirked lightly at Franky's proud and optimistic tone. "Yosh, let's get started."

….

The three of them located themselves in the furthest reaches of Sunny Go, away from prying eyes. They all knew that if anyone else found out, then it would be stopped. Zoro was lying on top of a metal table and had to strip his overcoat, revealing his missing arm. Usopp visibly cringed at the sight, but was able to regain his composure.

"Zoro, look, this is gonna be real painful, ok?" Usopp said as he opened the tank and fumes spilled out of it. The sniper reached in and, struggling, managed to pull out the mechanical arm. Franky took it from his hands with ease and hooked it to Zoro's bare left shoulder. Zoro inhaled sharply at the chill from the metal. He glared at the complex contraption with a respectful gaze, but it was also deafening. The thing Franky was hooking to his arm would either save him or kill him.

Zoro faced the dark ceiling and frowned, giving some last thought. He listened to metal clashing metal and he winced at times when Franky pushed too hard. After minutes of the same sounds, Zoro turned to see Usopp holding onto a metal bar that was hooked separately to the arm with sweat running down his face. Franky was standing on the opposite end of the table.

"Is it done?" Zoro asked, confused.

"It's hooked to your shoulder, but once I push this bar down, the microfibers in the metal will start attaching themselves to your nerves, cutting through your skin like needles, so don't think it'll rip your shoulder wide open," Usopp explained, but Zoro only got some of it.

"Needles?"

"It'll feel like a billion tiny needles are stabbing you in the shoulder," Franky clarified with a frown and a shift of his sunglasses on his metal nose.

"That doesn't sound too bad," Zoro replied in relief.

"You'll probably feel a million volts, too," Usopp added quickly. So quickly, that Zoro almost didn't hear it.

"WHAT?" Zoro stiffened.

"You ready?" Usopp asked, obviously nervous.

"Get on with it," Zoro said impatiently, but he knew he was more nervous than Usopp and Franky combined. This was his only way to keep his promise to Kuina. It was either get his arm back, or die trying.

"Five…" Usopp started the countdown, gripping onto the bar that was attached to the mechanical arm so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"Four…" Franky came in.

"Three..."

"Two…"

"One…"

That was when Franky immediately pinned Zoro to the table with his enormous hands.

"ZERO!"

Usopp flung the bar downwards and Zoro's body pulsed upwards. A deafening ring exploded in Zoro's ears and his vision vibrated and swayed. Behind the ringing, Zoro was sure he was screaming. He felt like his body lit on white fire and then, in an instant, everything went black.

….

Zoro awoke in what felt like right after his so-called 'procedure'. He could feel his entire body pulsing with every thump of his heart and every pulse was as painful and sore as the last. That was when he realized that he was indeed alive. Well, that was a start.

He opened his single eye and sat up, feeling his sweat painfully ripping off of the metal table. He found Usopp and Franky looking ecstatic on either side of the operating table and then he realized he had sat up, as well. His upper body was working! Zoro didn't reveal the instant relief he felt, except for the curious expression when he looked at his new left arm. It felt much heavier on his left side, but perhaps he'd get used to it.

No one said anything as Zoro instinctively lifted his left arm in front of his eyes and made a fist out of the mechanical fingers. He stared at it in wonder. He couldn't feel anything like he could with skin. All he felt was the movement in his shoulder, but then it appeared before him. It was the strangest feeling he had ever felt.

"Zoro…" Usopp finally broke the inspiring silence. "WE DID IT!"

Usopp leapt over the table and for a moment, Zoro thought he was going to hug him, but instead he held Franky. They both frolicked about the dark room with Franky dancing and yelled 'super' constantly. Zoro was too shocked and elated to scream in happiness and skip with them. He immediately wanted to get to work using that new arm of his. He had been useless for almost three weeks and they were damn lucky no pirates came along. They probably would've had to protect him. But now… he could fight again. His and Kuina's dream could still live on.

"Thank you," Zoro said so sincerely that he thought his voice cracked.

The two mechanics stopped mid-dance. Usopp shifted closer to the swordsman and held a hand up to his ear with a sly smile.

"What was that, Zoro?" Usopp mocked proudly. "What'd you say?"

Zoro was pissed for a second, but he let Usopp's idiotic attitude slip by him for what they had done for him. "I said, thank you." However, his voice was strained and it was obvious he was holding back a bout of anger and annoyance.

Zoro slammed his fists together and smirked happily. It all wasn't lost.

….

"WOAH! You're like Franky now!" Luffy cried, poking excessively at Zoro's mechanical arm. Zoro restrained himself from punching his captain.

"It's extraordinary," Robin complimented Usopp and Franky with a congratulatory smile.

Usopp pounded his chest proudly. "We've been working on it for nearly a week!"

A week wasn't long, but with the best mechanics in the world working nonstop, that would be considered long to Zoro.

Chopper waddled up to Zoro and examined the arm, looking concerned. "Is it tearing his skin? What are the features? How did it hook itself and respond to Zoro? You guys should've told me! This looks like it should require medical attention! Zoro isn't a robot!" Chopper reprimanded.

"Lighten up, Chopper," Usopp chuckled, bending down on his knees to be on eye level with the worried reindeer. "It was a complete success. Franky and I checked for anything bad and nothing turned up!"

Chopper didn't seem convinced. "Zoro, let me see you touch your toes."

Zoro raised an eyebrow. "You're kidding, right?"

"Zoro, let. Me. See. You. Touch…"

"Ok!" Zoro complied, fearing the doctor might just rip his new arm off. He reached down to touch his toes, stretching the seemingly pliable metal. That was when he heard something pop, but he wasn't sure what. "What was that?" He lifted his body back up and moved the mechanical arm around. Everything seemed normal.

"That's just the metal we used. It's called carbon nanotubes; strong as diamond, flexible as rubber," Franky explained, knocking on Zoro's left arm. "We had to melt it down and shape it to fit Zoro's arm length and weight, so it's still hardening. Stretching it might not be a good idea right now."

"It's a little heavier than my right arm," Zoro mentioned, swinging around the mechanical arm and then allowing it to rest at his side. "But I think I can get used to it."

"What about infections? And rust?" Chopper turned to face Usopp and Franky.

"No worries!" Usopp waved his hand to shoo away Chopper's concerns. "We cleaned it with the stuff from your medical cabinet down in the bay! The maintenance is a cinch, too. Franky and I just gotta clean it once a month!"

Chopper frowned but realized he had no more questions.

"It's pretty amazing," the cook entered their conversation. He scratched his beard with a curious expression on his face, scrutinizing Zoro's arm. "Did you put any missiles into it?"

"WHAT?" Chopper seemed beyond belief.

"We tried, but we couldn't fit anything that would be cool enough without making the arm bigger. Hence Franky's enormous arms," Usopp explained with a disappointed grin.

Zoro sighed, exhausted, and pulled his yukata over his shoulder, covering his mechanical arm with only his wrist and hand exposed. It would take a while getting used to it, but he would be able to protect everyone with two arms. He'd be able to protect his crew and his dream.

Zoro looked towards the bright blue sky as Chopper and Usopp bickered about putting missiles in his left arm and smiled. His missing limb was only gone for but three weeks, but with the help of his nakama, his missing limb was returned.

**END**


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